Grease-cup.



E. F. BURROW.

GREASE our.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I8, 1915.

FIQ'. 5

21- INVENTOR IITNSSSM I E# W COLUMBIA PLANOGRAv-H :0..WASH1NGTONIDAC- bfi ran ariir ori:

EDWARD F. BURROW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO RUDGLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GREASE-CUP.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2?, 1915.

To all whom it may concern y Be it known that I, EDWARD F. BUnnow, a citizen of the TJnited States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State or' Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Grease-Cups, of `which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive and effective construction of a grease cup adapted for lubricating machinery, the grease cup to operate in an automatic manner underv the action of compressed air and mechanical means such as a spring.

More particularly, my object is to provide a construction of pressure applying means for the grease Within the cup, whichV may be adjusted to provide the desired degree of pressure upon the surface of the grease and utilize that pressure in an automatic manner so that the grease may be positively fed from the grease cup in accordance vvith the demand; and further in providingcapacity for adjusting the grease cup for reestablishing the requisite pressure conditions to repeat the operation of automatic feeding from time to time as the necessities of adjustment may dictate.

My object is also to provide the internal construction ot the grease cup, by which the pressure is applied to the grease, of `such a nature that it may be readily removed for cleansing and preferably may be reversible so that it would be immaterial in which direction it may be inserted in the cup so as to prevent any possibility of defective assemblage by an inexperienced Workman.

My object is further to provide pressure applying devices of such nature that when said devices press upon the grease they Will automatically level the same and put it under compression with a more or less elastic or yielding pressure, so that the operator in adjusting the cup may be able to determine by the feel ofthe lingers the extent of the compression and thus determine the proper adiustment when accomplished;

My invention consists of the cup body and can therefor,'adapted to screyv into each other, and the latter provided With a pressure applying device comprising a pair of disks approximately fitting the interior of the can il spring between the disks for forcing them apart, and connecting means between the disks or limiting the action of the. spring and thereby the maximum separation or the disks, the construction being such that under the compression produced by pressure of the grease upon one yof the disks, it is forced upward Within the cap, .imultaneously compressing the spring and also the air Which may be confined Within the cap above the grease, so that the combined action of the spring and compressed an' may be availed of as the motive force 'for ejecting the grease from the cup, as the saine'may be permitted by the bearing being lubricated.

My invention also comprehends other features of construction which together with those above enumerated are more particu` larly described hereinafter and definedin the claims, and Will be better. understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure l is a sectional elevationV of a grease cup embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cap spring; and Figs. 3, -l and 5 are sectional elevations of modified forms of the pressure applying devices shown `in Fig.y 1.

- 2 is the body and is provided at the bottom with a screuv threaded nipple through Which the grease is fed to the bearing, and by which the cup is held in position. This body part Q is internally screv7 threaded i s at il. 5 is cap and is externally screw threaded at 6 and is screwed into the threaded portion t of the body 2. When screwed to the proper position for adjustment, it maybe temporarily locked in that position bv the lock nut 7 if the cup is subjected to any material jarring. The cap 5 is cylindrical on the inside and is provided at the .top Wit-h a recess 9"t formed Within the hexagonal or other polygonal shaped member 8 which provides means for applying a Wrench for purposes of adjustment.v Betvveen the recessed vportion 9a and the outer cylindrical part of the cap I provide an annularV shoulder 9r In practice all of the parts so far described are preferably formed of stampecbdrawn and hydraulically shaped sheet metal, but I do not restrict myself in regard to the particular' manner of making the body and cap as they may be made any other suitable manner.,

The means for applying pressure upon the j grease is indicated at 10, and consists essen- 1 tially of the two disks 11 and 12, connected by a yielding connection 13 to limit the distance' to which these disks may be moved apart, and a surrounding helical spring 17, the ends of which press against the two disks 11 and 12 to tend to press them apart.V As shown in F ig. 1 the diskV 11 is provided with a link section 1st soldered or otherwise secured to it and simultaneously the disk 12 is provided with a link I section 15 also soldered kor otherwise secured i ltions 17a on the disks, or they Vmay be secured in position in any suitable mannen This spr1ng'171s under constant tension so s that if the mechanism 10 be removed from the cap the disks will assume a parallel position at a distance apart limited by the link connection 13, and yei-J will at all times be flexibly or vyieldingly connected. The disks 11 v and12 are approximatelyV the internal diameter of the cap, but so as to freely slide therein and be guided thereby. The ends of 'thelink sections lrland 15 may extend through the disks as indicated at 21 so as to provide means which may be grasped by the lingers should it be necessary to forcibly withdraw the device 10 from the cap should theV grease from any cause hold it therein after'the cap has been separated from the body. In Fig. lit will be further observed that theA diameter of the disks 11 and 12 is approximatelythat of the largest internal diameter of the cap 5 so that the inner (and usually the upper) disk will-be in position to be forced against the annular shoulder 9 at the'inner end of the cap, and in the drawing thedevice isshown in operative position with the pressure upon the grease 22 so thatthe spring 17 is pressing upon the disk lland'said disk is resisting the upward i movement by its contact with the shoulder 9. ,In this way the downward adjustment of thecap within the body 2` will provide for any spring pressure desired, and moreover as the grease seals the peripheral space l aboutV the lower disk 12 and the inner walls Y se of the cap, the air above the said disk 12 is put under compression.` In this manner I yhave not only the action of the spring 17 but also the compressed 4air within the upper l portion of the cap for providing an elastic `or yielding pressure which will constantly act tor lower` the disk l2 and apply pressure ldisk 11 is forced when the cup is put under compression, the said spring ends 1S exerting less power than the spring 17 at any time when the latter is under compression. The object of this spring 19 is to force the disk 11 away from the shoulder 9 or in suoli light contact therewith, when the compressed air has fully expendedv its force as a feeding means to the grease, that the attendant may by rotating the cap 5 know for a certainty that there is no resistance between the said shoulder 9 and the upper disk 11 of the compression device 10, and thereby be informed by the feel what the relation of the parts within the cup actually is.

The operation of the device will now be understood and may be briefly stated as follows: Assuming the cap 5 to be unscrewed from the body, the latter is substantially filled with grease, the pressure applying device 10 is dropped into the upturned cap 5 and rests upon the spring ends 1S. The cap is then inverted and screwed into the body. The lower disk 12 rests upon the grease and as the cap is screwed down upon the body it'will also be adjusted relatively to the two disks 11 and 12. The cap at this time will be'freely rotatable. As it is depressed, the shoulder 9 will ultimately be brought in contact with the disk 11 and as the adjustment continues the pressure of this shoulder 9 will increase. The grease tends to resist rotation of the disk 12 while the cap tends to induce rotation of the disk 11 as the compression continues. During this compression by the adjustment of the cap the disk 11 is moved down toward the disk 1.2, with the result that the spring 17 is put under compression and the air above the disk and within the cap 5 is also put under compression. The spring action will now be detected by the turning of the can as the spring 17 will tend to rotate the cap reversely to its direction of turning in adjustment. Finally a point is reached when the resistance to adjustment indicates to the operator that sufficient compression has been provided. The action thereafter is by the combined elasticity of the spring 17 and the compressed air within the cap 5 in forcing the disk 12 axially through the lower part of the cap and forcing the grease before it. When this action has proceeded to such an extent that the cap may be again turned freely by the release between the disk l1 and the annular shoulder 9, due to the expansion of the spring 17 and also to the action of the spring ends 18, the operator will know that the cup should need further adjustment and the first operation may be repeated. If the expansion of nia-aoco Y :ia

the compressed and the' spring 17 takes place to the ofthe actionv of the spring restricted by the link connection 13, all friction betweenI the disk 11 and the" shoulder 9 will have been removed, and yet at this time the spring' 17 wouldl be under pressure so far as positioning the disks 11 12 relati-velv to each other.l By the con-structiony above outlined, and itsV operation as described, it is possible for the operator to accurately adjust the pressure tobei applied upon the grease and to know the extent ofthe relative adjustments of the' parts within the cup without being able to sec them, as the feel of the resistance as above explained will enable the operator to correctly diagnose the condition within the cup.

lVhile the springv 19 is desirable, it may be omitted if desired', and especially in cups in which the outlet nozzle 3 is at the bottom.

The construction of the internal mechanism 10Av may' be modified as indicated in either of the several Figs. 3, 4 and 5.- .In Fig'. 3 the connecting means 13 has the middley link 16 omitted and the. two link sections 14a and 15 interengaging' in a loose manner. In Fig. 4 the link connection 13v is indicated as a small cha-in, and in this case wire loops 21a' are soldered at the outer part of each of the disks by which they may be grasped to withdraw the device from the cap if necessary.

In Fig. 5 the positive connection 13 between the disks is embodied in the spring itself, the ends of which spring are securely fastened to the disks 11 and 12 at 20 by soldering or otlfierwifse In this' case it is preferable that theV spring' 17 shall be somewhat stronger' than' in the case of the other modifications.

I do not restrict myself to any particular means for connectingL the two dislml 11 and 12 to limit their movement away from each other', beyond the fact that they must be connected in such manner that they have a normal extent of separation, but I prefer to make this connection byl links which make a positive limitation', so that the spring 17 between the disks may be put under any de gree ofv static compression tomake it more responsive at the inception of the compression of the grease, so that it becomes a material factor associated with the compressed air as a feeding means for the grease.

The mechanism 10 is preferably made reversible so that the two disks 11 and 12 are exactly the same andY the device may be inverted in the cap without any interference with its proper functions. It will be manifest, however, that if the device 10' is not to have capacity 'for reversal, then these' disks need not be both alike, but the lower disk 12 which comes in contact with the grease should be soli-.d and have noy material apertures it through. which the ,grease could work its way upward, or through which air might work its way downward, through. the grease. Any irregularity in the surfaceof the grease in the cup a. when assembling: the parts will readily be smoothed adjusted to proper condition to seal the space between the rim of the disk 12 and theV interior of the cap. Moreover, in the use of the device, should there be a failure of adjustment on the part of the operator when the same should be made, the warming of the bearing will cause the grease at the lower part of the cup to soften and there will be the com bined action of the spring ends 18 together with the weight of the freely movable structure 10 to assist in causing a feeding of the grease from the cup to prevent an abnormal heating of the bearing. Even after the spring action of the ends'v 1d ceases the weight of the device 10' is still effective in applying' pressure to the grease even to the last portion which is being expelled.

Particular importance is made of the fact that the structure 13 as a whole may be readily removed from the cap for thorough cleansing" from time to time, and for per'- mitting the cap itself to be cleaned out, because it is well known that grease, especially of some characters, has a tendency to' cake or harden upon the interiorY of the cups, and this would manifestly interfere with the proper and free operation of the device. Furthermore it is pointed out that' the' disk structures and' their connections' as a whole are guided by the side walls of the cap; and have no permanent connections with the cap, and moreover are rotatable with respect to the cap; and furthermore may remain stationary upon the grease while the cap itself is rotated' during the adjustment. The great flexibility and the freedom of the adiiust`- ment of the two disks, one relati-i-*el'y tothe other, enables them to adapt themselves to the interior of the cap without possibility of binding or in any wise interfering with the free normal operation of they device. Furthermore, the assemblage of the' parts is quickly and easily made and the device as a whole is inexpensive and durable.

While I have shown the construction of grease cup in the form which I prefer in practice, I do not restrict myself to the minor details as these may be modifedin various ways withoutl departing from the spirit of the invention.l

Having. now described my invention, wha-.t I claim as new and desire to protect by' Letters Patent is:

1. In a grease cup, the combination ofthe body and a cap screwed into the open end of the body for adjustment, with means within thel cap for applying pressure upon the grease,v said means consisting of two disks, connecting means to limit their movenicut esuli. other, and spring! arranged V,between the disks for yieldingly forcing themV apartwithin the limits of the connecty ing means, 'the said disks having relative i' link connectionsbetween thedisks to limit their movement apart, and a spring sur- 'rounding the linkconnection and having its ends pressing upon the respective disks to normally press them apart to the limit permitted by thelinkconnections, the said disks adjustably gpiidedA within -the cap.

` 3. In a grease cup, the combination of the body'and a cap screwed iintothe-openend of the body for adjustment, vwith means within the capforapplying pressure upon the grease, said means consisting` of two disksyieldingly connected solas to be normally separated at a distance apart but capable ofy being Vpressed relatively toward Veaeh other, ythe said means being freely guided within the cap and rotatable therein,

and-the inner of said disks adapted to make a frictional contact with the inner endk of' the cap. v Y

4. In a grease cup, the combination of the body and a cap screwed into the open end of theV body for adjustment, with means within the cap for applying pressure upon the grease, said means .consisting of two disksyieldingly connected so as to be normally separated at a distance apart but capable of being pressed relatively toward each other, the said means being freely Vguided within the cap and rotatable there` in, theV inner of said disks adapted to make a frictional'contact with the inner end of thecap, and spring devices within the cap for pressing the inner disk out of contact with the inner end of the cap whenever the pressure on the grease is sufficiently rev moved.

5. In a grease cup, the combination of the body and a cap screwed into the open end of the bodyfor adjustment', with means within the cap for applying pressure Yupon the grease, said .means consisting of two disks yieldingly connected so as to have relative movement toward eachother and loosely fitting within 4the cap and removable ,therefrom, and with capacityV for reversal therein.

6. In a grease cup, the combination of the body and a cap screwed within the open end 'of'v the body for` adjustment, with means wholly within the cap for applying pressure upon -the grease, said means consisting of two disks yieldingly connected so as to have relative movement toward each other and loosely and rotatably fitting within the cap and removable asa unitary structure therefrom, one of said disks adapted to make frictional contact with the inner end of the Vcap when the cup is adjusted to apply pressure upon the grease, said disks freely rotasure upon the grease, and spring devices for holding the disk out of frictional contact with the interior end of the cap except when suiiicient pressure is applied by the compression of the grease.

` 8.` Ina grease cup, the combination of the body and a cap screwed within the open end of the body for adjustment and to provide aircompression within the cap, with means wholly within the cap for applying pressure upon the grease and freely removable there- `from as a unit, said means consisting of a member arranged within the inner end of the cap and normally free to rotate therein, a disk member guided in the open end of the cap by the side walls thereof and also free to rotate therein, a link connection to limit the extent to which the members may be forced apart, and a spring arranged between the members for producing a relative movement of the members apart within the limits of the link connection.

9. In a grease cup, the combination of the body and a cap screwed into the open end of the body for adjustment, with means within the cap for applying pressure upon the grease, said means consisting of a member arranged within the inner end of the cap, a disk member guided in the open end of the cap by the side walls thereof, a link connection to limitthe extent to which the members may be forced apart, and a spring arranged between the members for producing a relative movement of the members apart within the limits of the link connection, the said cap having a shoulder portion against which the first mentioned member may be frictionally pressed into contact, said means being freely removable from the cap.

10. In an automatic grease cup, the combination of a body and an air tight cap screwed within the interior of the body so as to make an air tight joint and allow air compression within the cap, with a freely removable means wholly within and guided by the cap for providing air compression within the cap and pressure upon the grease said means consisting of a thin disk freely movdisk normally in a transverse position to the able in the open end of the cap, and spring axis of the cap. l pressure applying devices arranged between In testimony of which invention, I herethe disk and the inner end of the cap but unto set my hand.

having no iixed connection therewith, said EDWARD F. BURROW. disk adapted to press upon the grease by the Vitnesses:

compressed air assisted by the spring pres- R. M. HUNTER,

sure, and said devices yieldably holding the FLORENCE DEAcoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

